Toonkunstkoor tijdens optreden in het Concertgebouw 1930

Editor: This gelatin silver print, “Toonkunstkoor tijdens optreden in het Concertgebouw,” by Erich Salomon, captures a choir and orchestra during a performance in 1930. It’s remarkable how Salomon manages to convey a sense of grandeur despite the limitations of early photography. What do you see when you look at this piece? Curator: I’m drawn to the socio-economic dynamics captured within this image. Consider the Concertgebouw as a site of cultural production: who had access to this space, both as performers and audience? Salomon’s lens documents a specific social class engaged in a very particular type of artistic labor and cultural consumption. What materials went into the making of this performance – the instruments, the sheet music, the clothes of the performers, and what labor practices underpinned them? Editor: That’s a perspective I hadn’t considered. I was more focused on the formal aspects. Do you think Salomon intended to make a commentary on social class, or was he simply documenting an event? Curator: Intentionality is a slippery concept. The mere act of selecting this subject matter, framing it in this way, and distributing the image serves a purpose. The photo's wide distribution shows not only how events become iconic, but who are represented in that iconography. What choices about materials influenced the availability and longevity of Salomon’s photography? Editor: That makes sense. The photo itself is a commodity. Its accessibility through reproduction and distribution also plays into who consumes the art, both musically and photographically. Curator: Exactly. Think about the division of labor - the musicians creating sound, Salomon capturing the image, the printing press reproducing it. Each contributes to the work's meaning and accessibility. It speaks volumes about how our understanding of art is shaped by the means of its creation and distribution. Editor: I guess I never fully considered all the different aspects involved in the creation of a photograph. Thank you for broadening my understanding of its layers beyond the initial impression! Curator: It's been enlightening for me too. Exploring the material realities behind artistic production makes us question how value is assigned to art and who benefits from it.